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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25540618">The Serpent’s Cause</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/freebird97/pseuds/freebird97'>freebird97</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Other, dragon!Satanael</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:47:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,437</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25540618</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/freebird97/pseuds/freebird97</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Legends and myths—that’s all they’ve ever been. Just old tales that only a small portion of humanity believe to hold a kernel of truth. You had always liked to imagine them being real and how different the world would be if they were.</p><p>What you were soon to find out, is that every single one has a truth to it, and how much such a truth would change your life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Satanael/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Serpent’s Cause</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>You’re freezing. You may as well be drenched in a cold sweat at this rate, the chill in the air freezes you to the bone so much. Shifting, you slowly open your eyes and try to make out your surroundings. It’s mostly dark, but the sun must be rising for it’s not pitch black like it was mere hours ago. The faintest tracing of light can be seen starting to crack through the gaps in the exterior wall of the barn you’re nestled in, meaning dawn is either here or it’s just creeping up on the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No wonder it’s so cold. It’s always coldest before the sun rises, as your father had often told you on the mornings he got you up early to help on the farm. Now this harsh reality comes back to you as you pull your legs up towards your body and wrap your arms around them, trying to warm yourself up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A deep, rumbling breath of air sounds before you, startling you. Eyes wide, you stare at the source, slowly biting your lip. You had nearly forgotten... After a moment of hesitation, you stand and brush the dirt off your pants. Then you make your way forward, being mindful to keep your footfalls as silent as possible so you don’t wake the large, dark creature before you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From what little you can see, the dragon sleeping on your barn floor hasn’t moved from the position he flopped down in when he arrived safely here. You remember the way he shook the ground when he collapsed—it had made you fall back on your butt with a gasp. He hadn’t injured himself anymore by doing such a thing, but even now, you check over him again to make sure there’s no new injuries. When you find none and see that the bandages you used to cover his wounds are okay, you kneel down to take an admiring look at the great beast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gently, you touch the scales on his neck, marveling at their smooth, glasslike texture and the warmth radiating off them. Fascinated by it, you move your hand across them, being mindful to only run your hand the way the scales flow, lest you get cut. The scales are sharp at the edges, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did they capture you?” You murmur to yourself, brow creased. “And why?” You’re over the initial shock of dragons being real now. Now all you want to know is why a group of people would go to such a length to capture a dragon, of all creatures. Sure, they could’ve done many things to make a profit off a dragon, many </span>
  <em>
    <span>harmful</span>
  </em>
  <span> things, but risk many lives in capturing one just for a pretty penny? It doesn’t make sense to you. “As much as I’ve always wished dragons to be real, I didn’t want to find out like this.”</span>
</p><p>You sigh, sitting down on the floor. You scoot closer to the dragon, now noticing even more how large it is. His neck is nearly as tall as you while you’re sitting. How he fits in your barn, you really have no clue.</p><p>
  <span>Now closer to him, you feel your body starting to warm up. Pursing your lips, you look at it carefully before moving right up against him. You sigh as heat now surrounds you, warming you up near instantly. Why you hadn’t done this earlier to fight off the chill of the night, you have no clue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being mindful not to wake the male dragon up, you lean against his neck, making sure your clothes cover all your skin so you don’t get scratched by his scales. You have a strong feeling he won’t be waking up soon and since you have nothing to do until then, you let yourself relax and fall back asleep, soothed by the dragon’s deep breathing and warmth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A shift of muscles underneath where you lay is what awakes you this time. However, you don’t open your eyes right away, partially afraid to. From what it feels like, the dragon has moved his neck, making his head closer to you. You lie still, barely breathing as you wait for anything else to happen. It’s only when searing hot breath brushes against your legs that you snap open your eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your gaze is immediately met with another. The dragon’s head is curled towards you, just like you thought, and it’s positioned so you can see one eye partially open. Now with the sun having come over the horizon, light beams fracture through the cracks in the barn and reveal the dragon fully to your gaze. He’s even more beautiful in daylight as he was in moonlight and much easier to see.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning,” you barely breath out. He doesn’t react, his second eyelid closing over his eye before disappearing once again, this being the only movement he makes. “You slept through the night, which is good. You still must be exhausted, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You know he can understand you. When you helped with his escape last night, he had given clear signs that he can understand human speech and had even nodded once to a question you had asked. Now, if only the tales about dragons being able to speak were true. At least you’d be able to ask him the most dire questions on your mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing and ignoring the dragon’s lidded gaze, you stand and stretch. Now would be a good time to check over his wounds, since the sun has finally decided to grace the world with its presence. Once you hear a satisfactory pop from you back and your shoulders, you turn to the gigantic, dark creature. You move to the first wound: a series of cuts on his wrists that had been from chafing steel ropes. When you peel a bandage slowly up, your eyes widen at the sight before you. Disbelief courses through you. Needing to see more, you take the bandage off completely and stare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit... It healed overnight?!” Incredulous, you look to the dragon, who has raised his head and moved it to watch you, his eyes now fully open. Laughing shortly to yourself, you shake your head as you remove the rest of the bandages on his wrists. They’re all healed, too. The only sign he ever was hurt there is some missing scales. “I guess if dragons are actually real, they’d have super healing, too. Lucky.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You pat his side, which results in a short, but deep sound from him. It reminds you of a cat’s purr. Ignoring him, you move to the rest of his wounds. As you check them, you notice some are fully healed while others have only just begun to heal. You keep the bandages over the latter on, not wanting to risk an infection. You’ll have to reapply some medicine and bandages soon, too. Once satisfied that everything is okay, you pull away, but keep a hand on his side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There,” you say softly, meeting his gaze with the tiniest of smiles. “You should be okay now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You pull away, walking towards where you left some of your things last night, but stop abruptly when you hear another voice. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eyes wide, you slowly turn towards where the voice came from. “That...” You meet his gaze once again and you swear you see a hint of amusement in his fire-like eyes. “That... di-did you just thank me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, the dragon’s upper eyelid closes as he blinks. He shifts his weight, too. “Shall I repeat myself?” Amusement laces the voice, which seems to be coming from nowhere. “Mh, it seems you heard me loud and clear, after all.” You gasp, looking down as his tail wraps behind your back and partially around your waist, pulling you towards him effortlessly. He moves again, lifting his head some more as he comes close to look you over. His mouth opens partially, some of his sharp teeth glinting in the few spots of light.</span>
</p><p>“You’re unharmed.” You can hear the relief in the voice now. Though you’ve moved closer, the voice hasn’t changed in volume. It seems to have gone quieter, even. “Good, I was afraid I hurt you when I picked you up in my talons.”</p><p>
  <span>You swallow. The voice must be the dragon’s, but it still somehow spoke with its mouth closed. Maybe it’s using magic?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A deep rumble vibrates your body. It’s like the short purr from earlier, but also not. “I can see the questions in your eyes. I am using magic to project my mental voice aloud to speak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” you mumble. “Is that the only way you can talk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nods slowly, but doesn’t say another word. His eyes roam over your body once again, this time slower than the other times. The intensity in his gaze makes the hairs on your arm stand to attention as you hold back a shiver. Once he meets your eyes, the tail around your waist and back tightens for a second before it moves away. For some reason, you feel a little empty once it’s gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Licking your lips, you ask, “are you okay? I’m not a dragon expert, so I can’t tell if you have any internal injuries.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shifts again, laying his head on the ground. A singular eye stays fixed on you, however. “I do not have any. Thank you for your concern.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You breathe a sigh of relief then sit down on the ground, crossing your legs. “Thank god.” Relief washing through you, you start to absentmindedly pick at a string that has come undone from your jeans. You keep your gazes locked for only a moment longer before you look down at the string your hand is playing with. Curiosity still overwhelms you, so you bite your lip before you speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask you some questions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You may.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did those people capture you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That I am unsure of myself. I presume my fate would not have been good, either way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did they even manage to capture you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s quiet for some seconds as he thinks. His tongue flicks out, and you stiffen as you catch a glimpse of sharp, white teeth. The dragon has given no sign that he’s going to hurt you, so you make yourself relax. “I believe,” he starts, “they drugged the animal I hunted and ate, for I fell unconscious some time after I ate. The meat tasted strange, but hunger won over my senses.”</span>
</p><p>It makes sense. When you had come across the group of people who had captured him, he had heard you moving and was watching you as you circled the darkness surrounding their camp. You had barely made a sound, only faltering when you heard a branch snap under your heel, yet the group miraculously did not hear it for they were too absorbed in discussing something around the light of a few lanterns. They were smart enough to not outright attack the creature and instead merely drug him, but failed to notice another had caught on to what was occurring while out on their nightly walk.</p><p>
  <span>Pursing your lips, you debate upon asking the next question. Curiosity wins once again. “What is your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My name?” He asks back, his voice laced with amusement. He makes a noise akin to a sigh—a deep exhalation of breath edged with a low thrum that shakes the air around him and stirs the dust motes dancing in the sun beams. “It has no human pronunciation, and if there were any I once let humans call me, I have long forgotten it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Awh, c’mon, there has to be at least one you recall!” You throw your hands up, breath still bated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm…” His eyes close, his breathing deepening even further. Time ticks forward, and before long seconds turn to a few minutes. As you wait, you begin to pull and twist absentmindedly on the loose string of your jeans. When you begin to think he might not recall a single one, he speaks. “Once, long ago, people far to the East believed me to be the serpent they so deathly feared. They called me Satanael.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your eyes widen as he opens his, him now watching you. You swallow, stopping all movement. “And… are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Satanael laughs lightly now. “No. They pegged me as an evil being, and as he was the worst in their eyes, that’s what they called me. I never harmed a single human, even when they attacked me, but that did not matter, for I was strange and wild and they knew if I wanted to, I could destroy them all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You frown. How terrible to think that such a beautiful creature would just bring harm wherever it went. In the back of your mind you start to understand why the dragons might have faded into legends and myths—they could’ve been hunted to extinction by those who didn’t understand or just wanted the title of “dragon slayer”. They also could’ve gone into hiding, fearing and mistrusting of humanity. Both thoughts upset you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...might I ask you a question?” This throws you out of your thoughts. When you nod, he continues. “Why did you save me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Easy,” you say with a smile. “The moment I caught you staring at me, I saw all your emotions in an instance and I knew I couldn’t leave you to a grim fate. I will admit I’ve been fond of tales of dragons since I was little, but always hated the tales where people slain them instead of befriending them. Just like people, there are good and bad dragons within many tales. One who looked so gloomy and void of life couldn’t possibly be evil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Satanael blinks slowly, first with his upper eyelid, then with his second. “Come. I wish to properly thank you.”</span>
</p><p>You don’t understand why, but your face begins to heat up. Obediently, you stand and walk toward his head. He lifts it to your eye level, then turns it so both eyes can peer at you. Shuffling a little closer, he closes his eyes and places the top of his head against your torso. That sound comes from his body again, this time much louder. Being able to listen to it longer makes you realize it’s him purring. Your heart stutters in its rhythm, but you return the gesture by wrapping your arms around him and hugging him.</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for saving me,” he says softly, his voice barely rising above a whisper. “I owe you my life and gratitude for as long as I shall live.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Bly’s (TheHuggaMugCafe) muse has been haunting me, so I figured I would put him to work. I hope you enjoyed! Might write a second chapter if there’s enough interest or if I get the urge to continue it.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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